Twilight 2000 1st Edition/1995
January *January 17 - Soviet 22nd Tank Division is activated. February *Throughtout February **Soviet 3rd Motorized Rifle Division is activated. June *June 16 - Fighting breaks out between elements of the KGB Border Guards and the Chinese 52nd Border Defense Force along the Amur River near Khabarovsk. *Jun 20 - Fighting dies down between Soviet Union and China, but both begin to mobilize and shift troops. British, West German, and American governments place their forces on alert, and security along the E-W German frontier is tightened. UN tries to negotiate a settlement, but both Russia and China refuse to negotiate. August *August 19 - Lead divisions of the Soviet 1st and 2nd Far East Fronts cross the border into Northern China. *August 20 - Soviet Union declares war on China; the Sino-Soviet War begins. Tensions in western Europe increase dramatically. In the first weeks of the war, the Red Army roars through Manchuria. In the US, millions of Americans are alarmed by the possibility of escalation to nuclear war. Media spotlights the dusted-off evacuation plans from two decades ago, leading to demonstrations-turned-riots in upstate New York, New Hampshire and eastern Pennsylvania, and at least four Department of Health and Human Services reps are severely beaten while making surveys of potential host communities. *Late August - Tudeh guerrillas again becomes active and begins attacks against Iranian military and civilian targets. In response to this, the Iran Nowin government reluctantly allows the reforming of the Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guard), the Islamic Fundamentalist militia. *The Soviets responded by mobilizing the Transcaucasus Front, a reserve force of the southern theater of military operations (TVD). This was ostensibly done to provide more troops for the Sino-Soviet war. The KGB's Transcaucasus Border District also went on full alert and began receiving heavy equipment. *The pro-Soviet Syrian and Iraqi governments withdrew from OMES. They claimed that treaty obligations made it impossible for them to comply with policy. The Syrians denounced OMES as a tool of Western imperialism. The Iraqis didn't say much, but they did sell their oil exclusively to the Soviet Union. *With potentially hostile forces sitting on its northern and western borders, Iran was forced to adapt a policy of neutrality. This policy was unpopular among the Islamic Fundamentalists whose hatred of the Soviet Union was long and deep. The Iranian government sold oil only to "selected nonbelligerents". *Relations between Israel and Syria deteriorated rapidly. A demilitarized zone (DMZ) had been established in the Golan Heights following the '87 war. This DMZ was occupied by a UN Peacekeeping Force. When the UN General Assembly fell apart in June of 1995, these troops were left out on a limb. *The Syrians responded quickly. Syrian army units moved to their jump-off points. Syrian commandos began infiltrating UN forward positions. The Israelis began deploying into the Golan Heights. Minor skirmishing broke out, but before things could get too hot, the Syrians withdrew. September *a pro-Syrian Lebanese Christian faction called the Lebanese National Unity Party seized power in Lebanon in a bloody coup. They immediately requested Syrian aid. Since Lebanon was not a member of OMES, there was nothing that organization could do about it. The Israelis began shifting units northward while the Syrians moved into southern Lebanon. *Late September **The Soviets have taken Shenyang, but suffer from shortages in men and equipment; experts in Western Europe predict stalemate and a cease-fire before Christmas. October *Early October **Chinese People’s Liberation Army launches a major counteroffensive, leaving the Soviets in deep trouble. *Late October **Britian stands down its alert. **The Sultan of Oman requests British assistance and London responds by sending the newly formed Middle Eastern Field Force (MEFF). This force consists of two Gurkha battalions, a battalion of the Parachute Regiment and an infantry battalion (The Kings Own Scottish Borderers). These troops are used mainly for security and training. November *November 13 - Soviet Union launches the last of its high-orbiting weather-tracking satellites, DP 201. *France activates the Foreign Legion Operational Group (GOLE) and deployed them to Djibouti. *The US government commits the rest of the 7th Special Forces Group and a ranger battalion for anti-terrorist duties in Saudi Arabia. December *December 11 - The Politburo and the Presidium order a general mobilization of all Soviet military forces; martial law is declared in the Far East, Siberian, and Transbaikal military districts. They also request troops from the Warsaw Pact nations, and with the exception of Romania they reluctantly agree to send troops. NATO realizes the Soviets intend to pursue the Sino-Soviet War to the bitter end. Category:Twilight 2000 1st Edition